Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with photo

Sharing photomanagement tags and goodies in a network

lifeonholidae — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 08:27:01 -0800

I know this was previously discussed in two posts, but perhaps there are updates. I need photo management software that will allow me to view tags, updates and edits within an network. Scene: Network of about 11 computers, a shared hard drive with all of our photos. I use Picasa and love it. How do I use Picasa in all of these PCs and share the tags, face identification etc.?

I know little about networking. But I follow instructions well!

Can not, can not, can not be online (liability and privacy issues)

photography that blends into web pages

ollyolly — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 11:10:36 -0800

Is there a term for photography with a plain-colored background (i.e. a background that will blend seamlessly into an x-colored web page background)? I like photographs that blend seamlessly into the background color of a web page (e.g. this photo of red shoes). Basically, anything photographed so that there are no shadows, patterns, or textures to indicate where the photo ends and the surrounding web page background begins. I've tried just searching "white background" (that's where I found the above example photo), but is there a specific term (or place to look) for this type of photography?

These photos, let me show you them

Lyn Never — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 05:32:19 -0800

Can anyone recommend a simple PC slideshow application for a friend? Most of the other slideshow questions I could find had various levels of additional difficulty, but really I just need to find a simple 'ware-free slideshow program for PC for a funeral this weekend. Doesn't need to be free (though reasonable is good), no internet features (no internet will be available at display time), no music, no text, just a series of digital photos displayed on a laptop hooked to a projector.

I don't believe PowerPoint is an option, but if anyone can vouch for Open Office's Impress as a viable alternative for this use, I can get that installed for her.

please help me i.d. this photo(series) and the artist

Baby_Balrog — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 19:13:55 -0800

Argh! Can't remember the name of this series of bizarre photos. I think it was something like, "What's the matter with Jonathan" or something like that. It's making me crazy. Please help.

Need a concept for holiday photo with a baby in the city

xo — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 11:35:25 -0800

I got stuck on my first idea and now I can't think of alternative Xmas/winter/holiday card photo ideas featuring a baby and NYC. Ideally I'd like the photo be unique and non-traditional... I want to move beyond the cute baby in front of a Christmas tree or on Santa's lap or dressed in fancy clothes.

My first idea was to put the baby in one of those hats that looks like the top half of a plush polar bear's head with paws hanging down, in a white fleece outfit, sitting on the ice on the rink in Bryant park, like a misplaced polar bear. But this idea is running into difficulty because the hat seller's baby-sized hats are stuck in customs and he doesn't know if they'll be in stock again soon, and also I'm nervous about carrying the baby out onto an ice rink without falling and breaking our heads.

Assuming I get the hat, where else could I put a misplaced polar bear? What about other ideas? I'm not opposed to referencing Christmas specifically, like if there's an empty manger in a nativity somewhere, I could put the baby in that. I guess I could also put the baby in a wrapped present box with the lid open and put him under one of the major holiday trees in the city. But these ideas aren't as good as the polar bear one, are they?

My vision, such as it is, is for the resulting image to be cute, funny and a little bit sad/poignant. Like the holidays themselves.

Auto-text for jpeg

a womble is an active kind of sloth — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 09:43:35 -0800

Is there a straightforward way of adding text to a jpeg semi-automatically? I have a series of jpegs that are produced from a simulation that represent a system at various time intervals. I want to make a simple video by putting these together but I'm not sure how to add the time caption to each jpeg. There is no way of generating it within the program I am using. It is a series of 40 images, so I can do it manually but I'm interested to learn about any alternatives.

(I have access to photoshop, windows xp, mac osx and ubuntu)

Slideshow like a pro!

milkdropcoronet — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 11:06:50 -0800

Multimedia Journalism Filter: How do you make a New York Times-style photo slideshow? Is there an easy way to make photo essays? I like the simplicity of the NYT slideshows (see example here): they keep it simple with just a photo and a short caption against a black background.

I've Googled a few programs but many of them don't have the storytelling aspect that the NYT design does (clear navigation options, the ability to add text/narrative). Photo programs like iPhoto or Flickr don't have the caption option (that I've seen). And of course a free program is preferred. I'm no web whiz, so minimal technical know-how also preferred (i.e. no plug-ins or coding please)

If anyone's had success making narrative photo essays (image + text) let me know what programs you recommend! Many thanks.

PS The NYT has a "Teaching and Learning About Journalism" education section online, but I couldn't find any technical/production information.

i promise she'll find this funny

kidsleepy — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 12:43:35 -0800

What do you call this kind of retro picture? I'd like to create something like this for an upcoming 50th birthday surprise (featuring the birthday girl instead of the married couple). The theme of the party is "Like a good wine, she only gets better with age." I think it would be funny to 'emboss' the picture with gold writing, a la Olan Mills. I'd like to get some more ideas, but can't even figure out what to Google!

Taking pictures in Barcelona and Madrid.

scooterdman — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 19:00:35 -0800

What are the best locations for taking pictures of Barcelona/Madrid? We'll be spending about 10 days there. Barcelona from 12/25 - 12/28 and Madrid from 12/29 - 01/02.

I'd really like to take some nice photos, specifically of the landscape, the cities from above and the surrounding environment.

I'm also interested in taking pictures of normal touristy things, but will likely stumble into many of them on my own. (Feel free to recommend these, too, though.)

What are your thoughts? Where ought I point my camera?

Identify this iron stove

zamboni — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 08:29:12 -0800

Identify this iron stove. Australia, probably 1970s. I'd like to know the make and manufacturer of the iron stove that Clifton Pugh is resting his feet on in the above photograph.

Help me choose a beginner DSLR?

kylej — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 10:26:13 -0800

What beginner's dslr should I buy? I'm looking to purchase a camera within the next couple weeks. I have around 600$ to spend, and I'm looking to buy a beginners dslr.

Right now I'm leaning towards the Canon Rebel XSi.

It seems like it has a lot of options for me to learn and Canon has a nice lens selection if I want to buy more.

I've seen other questions on here, as well as numerous online reviews, but I wanted to see if you guys can think of any other options that would be good for me.

Stuff I'm planning on using it for:
Snapshots of friends
Macro(ish) shots
Travel shots(for when I go to Spain this summer)
Probably some informal portraits too

Another camera I was considering was the Nikon D3000, which is geared towards beginners, but I feel like it might be limiting as I get better at photography.

Thanks for your input!

how do I control exposure for panorama photos?

intermod — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 11:10:11 -0800

I just bought a new Canon digital camera, an SX110IS, and have discovered that it doesn't have the stitch assist mode. I may yet return it, but I'm wondering what would I need to do to still do a decent panorama without the assist? Obviously I have to frame the photos for overlap, but the real benefit of stitch assist mode was the exposure control. What should I do, manually, to get good panoramas as a result? I love making panoramas while traveling, and the stitch assist mode in my older Canon A720IS was great for this. Besides guiding you on the image framing for overlap, it would hold the exposure settings across the series, so that they'd blend well later when you stitched them.

Frankly I just assumed that all Canon digital cameras came with that feature now, but I see now that the lower end SX110IS and SX120IS don't have it. Once you step up to the more expensive SX200IS and up, you get the feature. Bah!

So, do I need to put the camera in some sort of manual mode, and which exposure parameters exactly should I control? Aperture? ISO? I'm not much of a photographer.

I'll give it a shot during travels next week, and if it doesn't work so well for me then I'll return the camera, but I'd like to avoid that hassle.

Photography - on drugs?

infinitefloatingbrains — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 13:22:42 -0800

Legality of photographing a controlled substance? (you're not my lawyer)

A photographer I work with is producing a shoot involving marijuana. As this is for a promotional piece, photo credits are pretty much required.

Partly inspired by this story that recently appeared on Metafilter. That photo essay was more journalistic, and there was no discussion of Young's legal exposure.

After some searching I haven't been able to find much. Yes, High Times is sold on the newsstand but it seems most of the drug photos are published under a pseudonym, and yes, there are photos of marijuana being sold on stock photo sites (usually uncredited).

My main question is - are there any legal implications to be associated with the creation of photos (still life - no people) of a controlled substance? I'm not asking about any kind of possession-related charges - just a name on a photograph.

Thanks!

How can I take a picture, organize and create a URL for each SKU in a mini-warehouse?

schindyguy — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 18:35:51 -0800

How can I take a picture, organize and create a URL for each SKU in a mini-warehouse? I have about 150 SKUs that I have organized into a master inventory list in excel. I added a column labeled "Picture URL" where I hope I can put a shareable/accessible URL for someone to view/download to another computer.

I was thinking a good way would be to use Evernote for the iPhone and then title each one the SKU of the item. But Evernote doesn't create a URL that I can use/paste into that field. It just lets me see the picture in a browser within their own system...in other words, I dont end up with http://evernote.com/sample-sku.jpg

I was hoping there was a mobile phone app solution (blackberry or iphone) because I dont care about the pic quality and thinking it would automate the uploading to the web portion...

The other option would be to use a digital camera, but then I would have to look at the picture and then rename the pictures with the correct sku name and then upload it on my server...probably the longest way.

What are some good things to consider when starting out as a professional photographer?

ghostpony — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 13:36:31 -0800

What are some good things to consider when starting out as a professional photographer? This can include equipment (lenses, bodies, flashes, strobes, computers), software, sites, marketing, rates.

I have lots of experience with photography but don't know exactly how to break in as a freelance professional photographer. I have a portfolio better than most and expansive enough to cover pretty much any need (from jewelry, to wild life, to children, to wedding and traditional portraiture). One of the things I have most difficulty doing is finding and setting appropriate rates.

Any help would be appreciated.

Confused about a Sigma lens for Pentax

GuyZero — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 21:44:49 -0800

This new lens from Sigma (18-250 zoom) comes in a Pentax mount. Pentax puts their DSLR image stabilization in the camera body and not in the lens like Nikon or Canon. Yet the description for all the lenses is the same - image stabilization in the lens. Is this a case of cut&paste product descriptions or would using this lens on a Pentax camera have double image stabilization (both lens & camera body)? The Amazon description seems to indicate it's in the lens but the English is a bit wonky. I'm also curious whether this lens is worth the higher price versus the similar Pentax & Tamron lenses.

Help me find this photo taken by Bob Jackson

kingjoeshmoe — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 18:30:09 -0800

Help me find a better copy of a famous(?) desegregated school photo. You can see it here, on the left side of the second row from the bottom. I went to the Sixth Floor Museum in Dallas earlier this year, where I saw a really great photo of a couple children looking out a window at a newly desegregated school, taken by Bob Jackson. Right now, that little thumbnail is the only copy I can find. I'm interested in finding better, either as an electronic image, or else a hardcopy for purchase. Google has failed me. Do you know where I can find it?

A Feminist's Bum

whimsicalnymph — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 17:04:26 -0800

Where can I find a print of this photo (nsfw), taken by Art Shay and featuring Simone de Beauvoir?

Photo workshop recommendations.

EnormousTalkingOnion — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 14:37:31 -0800

Any recommendations for great multi-day photo workshops for advanced amateurs (preferably in the western US)? I'm eager to try a new photo workshop to hone my skills. I've had bad experiences in the past with workshops that claimed to be for intermediate/advanced photographers, but were totally rudimentary and full of people who had just bought their first camera and didn't know how to turn it on. I'm not a professional, but I certainly know what I'm doing and am looking for something that will challenge me.

I've heard good things about the Santa Fe Photographic Workshops, but I don't know many others. I'd be willing to travel pretty much anywhere in the US for something cool, but the closer to California the better. I'm also open to any subject focus, although two particular areas of interest are portraits and adventure sports photography.

Has anyone had (or heard about) any great photo workshop experiences?

Help me put my best e-foot forward

Jezztek — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 00:20:36 -0800

Facebook brutally compresses my images, anything I can do to minimize it? Howdy all,

I'm finally getting around to making a Facebook page for my t-shirt designs, but I have bumped into a problem:

I'm trying to upload images of my designs, which tent to feature large flat areas of solid color. Facebook's compression algorithm mangles some of these solid colored areas them pretty brutally. Example, check out the red in this image:

upload_compare.png

Are there any tricks out there to minimize this problem? Formats, modes, resolutions to save in that might help things? Adding subtle noise, or other tricks to force the algorithm to work a little harder? Alternative means of uploading that don't get the usual treatment? any tricks would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks much!

USB key-friendly photo viewer for Windows /w tagging?

onshi — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 13:04:36 -0800

Can you recommend a lightweight, USB key-friendly photo viewer software for Windows that supports tagging? If Cornice Portable supported tags (or was still under development) that would be perfect, as I use PortableApps on my thumb drive. Ideas/suggestions?

sweet surprises for my RSS feed

kidsleepy — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 07:50:27 -0800

What are your favorite photo-of-the-day blogs? I recently stumbled upon Aloha Friday and Keggers of Yore. They're simple websites that upload a few pictures a day, without context or comment. Look at this f***ing hipster is along the same lines, except I'm tired of hipsters. What are some similar sites with interesting pictures?

Tracking names of subjects in photos

baggers — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 10:47:15 -0800

How do photojournalists keep track of subjects names? I'm doing some shooting at an event shortly where I want to keep track of the subject's names, so I can do captions like you see on wire photos ("Fred Bloggs and his wife were the first in line for XXX") after the event. I expect that I'll be shooting a lot of people, though so what's the best way to keep track of the names of people in photos?

Trying to recall a philosopher's website with photos of her friends

jayder — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 14:29:37 -0800

Can anyone remind me which philosopher has a personal website displaying her beautiful photographs of her university friends and colleagues? I can't for the life of me remember who this scholar is.

The photographs are black-and-white, depict strikingly beautiful and interesting-looking people, and have the aura of being taken in the gardens and quads of Oxbridge. Many of the photos look like they might have been taken in the seventies. I vaguely recall that Derek Parfit was one of the people in the photos, but I may be imagining that.

Where can I find trustworthy autographed items?

Anonymous — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 16:39:36 -0800

I'm looking for an autographed picture as a present, but $200 seems like much and I've seen people selling copies of autographed pictures for $10. What are good sources for autographed pictures, either high quality downloads or pictures with original signatures? In particular, I'm looking for a Gene Wilder signature. I realize I could use computer magic and get a high quality photo and overlay a signature digitally, or fake it, but that seems shady. I'm tempted to buy the less costly reproduction from someone online, but I imagine they could have done faked it just that.

Are there any reliable websites for signature purchasing? I could also go in person to the LA area, as I live a few hours away - are there any decent autograph or memorabilia shops for this sort of thing, or are they all tourist traps and money sinks for rabid fans?

I'm asking anonymously because it's an idea for a present, and the recipient checks MetaFilter from time to time.